Has anyone heard of chemo being used to treat rheumatoid arthritis?

I'd be most appreciative to hear from anyone who has undergone chemo recently as part of their treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and if the results were worth the experience.

Refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be treated with chemotherapy. Cyclophosphamide and other agents have been used in past. There has been research on the use of high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant for life-threatening cases. Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody against CD20, a protein on the surface of B-lymphocytes, has been used successfully in the treatment of RA. By definition, many of the patients receiving these drugs are having a very difficult time with RA, and unfortunately most will not respond well or for long. I have treated a few patients (as an oncologist for their rheumatologist), and have had some success, some failure. Rituximab is well-tolerated after the first dose infusion reactions are over.

God bless, best wishes

I wouldn't be using chemo to treat rheumatoid arthritis with all the new drugs about to come onto the market in a couple of years. I'm taking part now in a new drug trial and you can check out the trial at google by typing in the drug name called "Golimumab", and this drug has proven to be very successful world wide in all countries and before I went on it, I couldn't even shake hands with someone, or slap someone. Now I am a totally new person with no pain what so ever.

Methotrexate which is one of the older chemotherapy drugs has been used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis for forty years. When used against RA methotrexate is considered a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). There are other multi-purpose drugs also used for treating both cancer and RA.

http://arthritis.webmd.com/chemotherapy-...

hope this helps

Unfortunately, many of the newer agents were originally developped to treat cancer. Because of their severe adverse effects, they should be restricted to the most severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, possibly not more than 10% of patients.

Antibiotics are much more promising as agents to achieve a long lasting remission.

Rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.

I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis for more than 27 years. 20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis whose telling signs are the following:
- Joint pain in the feet (or cracking ankles) in the early 20's or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid Factor (RF);
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis, involving the whole body;
- Blood tests showing elevated levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Sedimentation rate (ESR).

NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, codeine, and statins like Lipitor are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis.

Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Make sure that you are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

For any form of arthritis, you should consult an orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of arthritis from which you suffer.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.

The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:

http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/member...

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains a wealth of information online at:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org

Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask your doctor to test you for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.

Are there any other cases of arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of arthritis are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.

There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.

Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for at least 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. For more info, please join the antibio group at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ant...

I hope you are not getting confused. All the newer biologic agents that are IV are being called chemo (for billing purposes): Remicade, Orencia and Rituxan.

These are all good agents, along with the other biologic agents, Humira and Enbrel, and can really help control your disease.

Methotrexate is a chemo agent in high doses.

One must understand the risks of the drugs, but not forget the shorter life span and disability related to not treating RA.

Good luck.